I’m a twenty-two-year-old Black introvert who overthinks everything, can’t get a date, yet somehow managed to graduate from Harvard.

My story is probably not like yours. I’m a Black boy from the Midwest. I’ve never been kissed. I’m desperately in love with two women: Aretha and Whitney. I struggle with a mild form of social anxiety. I sing to myself almost everywhere I go. I’m an ex-chitlins (with hot sauce and ketchup) lover. I’ve been called an Oreo. I’ve been stopped by the police while walking home. I’m the descendant of slaves, and a Harvard graduate.

Though our stories may not be the same, the universal themes explored in this poignant and personal literary collection—love, identity, hope, social justice, and coming of age—bond us together. Timestamp: Musings of an Introverted Black Boy is many things: It’s one Black boy’s journey through college and into adulthood. It’s a compilation of intimate musings, short and long. It’s an anthology of reflections linked to distinct moments in time. It’s a series of meditations on life, love, and the lack thereof. It’s not simply a “Black” book, or even a “millennial” one. It’s a human book.

I wrote it for everyone—and that includes you.